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I had taken a weeks holiday from work and was granted permission, from my very generous wife, to head to the hills for a wild camp. Since my last wild camp, I had purchased a drone and was eager to properly test it out.
Location of choice - Glencoe, Beinn A'Chrulaiste.
I was on Beinn A'Chrulaiste exactly one month before this trip (8th July) and managed to capture a breath taking image at dusk with some light trails travelling through the valley of Glencoe.
Valley Of Glencoe Light Trails by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
Glencoe Light Trails by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
The weather turned nasty that night and I had to postpone a wild camp. So, here I am, back for round two - hopeful of some better weather and a successful camp. My rucksack for this trip weighed a tonne with all my camera equipment on board. I was also carrying my drone separately in one hand which, after ten minutes of hiking, was a severe hindrance (a new rucksack is on my wish list). I kept telling myself it will all be worth it when I set up camp and get some awesome aerial footage.
After hiking to Stob Beinn a'Chrulaiste (not the actual summit of Beinn a'Chrulaiste), I was frantically trying to get my camera out of my bag, set up my tri pod and capture this amazing view through Glencoe. The sun was bursting through the clouds every now and again, casting long sun rays along the valley floor and over the top of Buachaille Etive Mor. To be able to stand and witness the contrast of shadows and sun rays beating through the valley was an incredible feeling, but being able to capture and share the image was even better. What an atmosphere! Visit Scotland added this picture to their Instagram page, which I was very grateful for!
Glencoe - Shadows & Sun Beams by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
The wind was ferocious and was showing no signs of letting up, so I decided to head back to the car and move further through Glencoe to try and find some shelter from the wind. It would have been impossible to pitch a tent and fly a drone in the strong winds. This means that for the second time in a month I carried my heavy rucksack back to the car, gutted that I couldn't camp on the summit of Beinn a'Chrulaiste.
Determined to camp somewhere in Glencoe I left Altnafeadh and parked the car near the Pass of Glencoe. I followed the path behind the stone wall towards the lower slopes of A'Chailleach. Passing by "The Study", I climbed a little higher and found a sheltered spot behind a rock to pitch my tent. The light was fading quickly, so I took some more photos and had a shot of flying the drone around the area.
Glencoe Sunset by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
At around 10pm the light had almost disappeared and the wind had dropped significantly, so I was trying to capture more light trails running through the Pass of Glencoe with the Three Sisters to my left. Most of the next hour was spent taking images and checking the focus on my camera as it's very difficult trying to focus in the dark. I took similar photos through Dusk and the Blue Hour, then into the early hours of the next morning capturing a variety of light trails and starry skies.
Glencoe Lightrails At Dusk by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
Glencoe Blue Hour Light Trails by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
Glencoe Wild Camp with Light Trails - Aug 2016 by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
The clouds had totally disappeared, the wind had died down and there was no midges around...the perfect setting for some astrophotography. I have been to a few places in Scotland trying to photograph the night sky, but I have never seen so many stars before. The sky was full of shooting stars and the Milky Way was visible to the naked eye. I got a rush of excitement every time I took a picture of the Milky Way and couldn't wait to get home to edit the pics. As an avid hill walker and amateur photographer there's nothing more satisfying than carrying all that expensive and HEAVY equipment up a hill and being able to capture and share the atmosphere you were surrounded by at that moment in time.
Glencoe Wild Camp by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
Glencoe Wild Camp 2 by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
Glencoe Tent & Milkt Way by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
Glencoe Tent View - Milky Way by
Graham Williamson, on Flickr
Lastly, I need to apologize as I never summit-ed any Munros, Corbetts etc or traveled any great distance on this trip. I just wanted to share the great experience I had wild camping in Glencoe. When I'm looking for inspiration to take photos I'm always reading Walkhighlands walk reports and taking note of future locations. Hopefully, this report can inspire someone else to get out and enjoy the beautiful country we live in.